


Homecoming

by OnTheFritz



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot
Genre: Bring on the Skimble welcome wagon, First Meetings, Gen, How do you like your tea?, Mistoffelees and Victoria are looking for a place to live, Not so sure about the chaos of the junkyard, Uncle Skimble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-27 21:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30129171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnTheFritz/pseuds/OnTheFritz
Summary: A moment where Mistoffelees first meets Skimbleshanks, who just adopts him as one of his own without hesitation. Might turn into a collection of one shots exploring Misto and Skimble's found family relationship with guest appearances by other characters in the future.Prompt by a friend who introduced me to the idea of Uncle Skimble
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Homecoming

First impressions were always the worst. 

"Once you two are settled we will do an official welcome but for now let's give you time to rest. I expect you're tired after such a long day." The tall silver tabby kept a gentle hand on his back as he and his sister were led through the expansive junkyard. "If you find yourself in need of anything all you have to do is ask."

Mistoffelees tried his best to respond but his mind was too tired and overwhelmed to let him do anything but nod. Victoria's hand squeezed his arm in sympathy. They had been traveling for the better part of the day and neither of them had quite known what to expect, only knowing that they were now going to live in a junkyard instead of the lap of luxury they were once used to. 

Not that it had been any of their faults. Humans were fickle beings. Loving one day, cold and callous the next. Being abandoned outside in the rain had been an awful wake up call but at least he and his sister were together. The kind silver tabby had found them wandering the streets and offered to take them in. Just how he knew that they were in trouble was still a mystery, one that would have to be solved later, along with the tabby's name. Surely he had introduced himself at some point.

"Munkustrap!" An older queen called out to them with a kitten perched on her hip. "I was starting to get worried you wouldn't make it before it grew dark out. I was about to send Skimble after you."

"Nothing to worry about." The silver tabby (presumably Munkustrap) replied, ushering the two closer to the queen. Both she and the kitten gave them a good once over. "Jenny, this is Mistoffelees and Victoria. Mistoffelees and Victoria, this is Jennyanydots."

"Please, dears, call me Jenny." The queen told them. "You poor things, you look half starved. Come inside before dinner gets cold."

Misto's stomach growled at the mention of food. Victoria tugged on his arm to lead him inside, immediately coming to a halt at the scene before them.

Chaos wasn't a strong enough word to describe it. Kittens were all over the place, laughing, screaming, crying, running around, fighting, playing and (in one particular instance) dangling from the ceiling. The noise was immense. 

Munkustrap let out a sigh and strode forward with his arms outstretched. On cue the kitten dangling from the ceiling fell into his grasp and turned his patched face towards the new arrivals.

“Hey!” The kitten shouted at a volume far too loud for indoor conversation. “New cats!”

That was the final straw. A flood of excited cats and kittens rushed forward, driving Mistoffelees back outside and deep into the junkyard. The destination was an afterthought, all he wanted was to get away and deal with the stress on his own, far away from prying eyes.

Victoria was with him and together they huddled inside a pipe to collect themselves. Neither needed to speak, neither really felt the need to speak, so they sat in a comfortable silence.

Suddenly a bright, cheerful whistling echoed through the clearing, followed by unfamiliar footsteps. To their combined dismay a cat with distinctive ginger tabby fur stepped into view. Victoria and Misto held on to each other as the tabby flicked a long brown tail and sniffed the air.

“Hello?” The tom called. “Is someone there?”

Neither of them replied. The tom sniffed the air again and turned towards the pipe.

“Hello.” He said, crouching down for a better look but not coming closer. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. I would remember a pair like you two.”

Victoria nudged Misto a little but he shook his head, still unwilling to voice his rapidly whirling thoughts. As a compromise he did lean forward a little to better see their new companion. To his surprise he noted that the ginger tom was wearing a little vest and collar with a bell. There was an air of authority about him that was a little more comforting than Munkustrap, prompting Misto to lean even more out into the light.

“My name is Skimbleshanks.” The tom introduced himself. “You don’t mind if I rest my feet for a while, do you?”

“No, we don’t mind.” Victoria quietly said.

“Thank you.” Skimble sat down on the ground at a reasonable distance away from the pipe, angling his body so he could still comfortably see them but not block the exit in case they wanted to leave. “I was sent on a mission by Jenny to see where Munk had wandered off to, but since I’ve found you I suppose I don’t need to continue.”

The memory of the queen surrounded by chaos must have shown on their faces. 

“Ah. I take it you have met Jenny and the others.” Skimble nodded knowingly.

They nodded.

“Bit of a chaotic mess, was it?”

Again they nodded.

“While the kittens are somewhat… enthusiastic about new arrivals, everyone has the best intentions at heart.” “I assume Munkustrap found you? He’s the tall silver tabby.”

“Yes.” Finally Mistoffelees found his voice. “He brought myself and Victoria here.”

“Good, good. He knows a good couple of cats when he sees them. So far he hasn’t brought in anyone I haven’t liked.” Skimble nodded approvingly. “Even Pouncival is a good lad, despite his tendency to cling to the ceiling. Lots of potential in that one if we can get him to focus.”

Something about the tom’s presence drew both Victoria and Misto out of the pipe and into the open. Perhaps it was the nonchalant, friendly energy he gave off, or maybe it was the simple fact that he didn’t expect either of them to keep up their end of the conversation. All he seemed to want was a bit of company while he rested his feet, which both Misto and Victoria could provide.

“I don’t know if Munk’s found you two a place to stay yet, and stop me if he already has, but I think it is right to assume that you probably won’t be looking forward to bunking with Jenny and the kits any time soon.” Skimble said with a wink. 

“No, not really.” Misto admitted.

“Don’t worry, I understand. Takes a bit of time to get to know everybody and even then it’s easy to get things mixed up. You’ll have plenty of time to settle in and learn.”

Above them the sun was starting to set, the last light of the sun giving way to the first few pinpricks of starlight.

“This is one of my favorite times.” Skimble said, angling his head back to admire the view. “When the sun gives the day over to the moon, as well as when the night retires and changes over to the morning. Something about the transitioning sky is just so beautiful, don’t you think?”

Both Misto and Victoria turned their gazes up to the sky, which was displaying a variety of pinks, purples and oranges as the sun gave one final performance. Misto had always preferred the night sky, Victoria the bright clear sunny days, but hearing Skimble’s words made them appreciate the dawn and dusk a little more.

“Since neither of you two have corrected me I will assume that you are still looking for somewhere to stay tonight.” Skimble said. “Would you like to stay with me? There’s plenty of space, and since I am usually away on the train it’s fairly neat and tidy if I do say so myself.”

“Trains?” Misto asked, mainly because he was curious but also to keep from answering the question right away.

This was clearly the right thing to say because for the next hour Skimble regaled them all about the wonderful world of trains and the railway system. Apparently Skimbleshanks himself was the ‘Cat of the Railway Train’ and his exuberance knew no bounds when it came to his knowledge and enthusiasm about the train. It was catching.

Before Misto and Victoria knew it they were standing in Skimble’s den, both wrapped in warm blankets and clutching hot cups of tea while enjoying a small but filling dinner. The ginger tom had moved on from the subject of trains and was now having a mostly one sided discussion on various types of tea he had collected on his travels as well as other beverages, notably scotch.

“You two might be a little young for a nightcap.” Skimble eyed them a little critically. “And Munk will have my hide if anything happens to you two, not to mention Jenny- oh, I should go tell them that you will be staying here for the night. Make yourselves comfortable, I will be back in a little while.”

With a cheerful wave of his long brown tail Skimble took his leave. Victoria and Misto glanced around the cozy den before making themselves more comfortable. This would have been a prime opportunity to leave and find their own place, a place more calm and quiet to call their own, but something kept them still. 

Victoria easily fell asleep once she finished her tea. Misto left her curled up under her blanket and took his own outside under the stars. To his surprise Skimble was sitting outside and doing a bit of stargazing himself.

“Thought you two would like some quiet time to yourselves.” He said at Misto’s questioning gaze. “I was going to spend the night with Asparagus but wanted to check in and make sure you two didn’t need anything.”

“Thank you.” Misto said, sitting down next to Skimble and trying to keep the blanket from slipping off his shoulders. “We both appreciate it.”

“It’s not a problem.” Absentmindedly Skimble tucked the blanket around him in a practiced motion. “I understand it can be overwhelming coming to a new place and seeing all new faces and having to learn new names.”

It suddenly occurred to Misto that he had not introduced himself, nor had Skimble pressed for his name. If the tom thought it was rude he didn’t give any indication of it. Nevertheless it would have to be amended.

“My name is Mistoffelees.” He said it more to the stars than to Skimble.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mistoffelees.” Skimble also said to the stars. “It’s a fine name.”

Together they sat in silence and stared up at the stars, and for the first time in a long while Misto felt at ease. The feeling crept up on him, settling in his chest with a flicker of hope, hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a future here for him.


End file.
